Little Lanterns
Making Sense of Experiences: Stories, activities, and practical tools that help children and caregivers talk about experiences that may feel difficult, confusing, or overwhelming.
Dealing with Serious / Chronic Illness
For children coping with their own illness or the illness of someone important to them.
- Understanding changes
- Talking about worries
- Expressing feelings
- Coping with uncertainty
Understanding Illness • Change • Uncertainty • Resilience
School Entry
For children preparing to start preschool, school or a new educational environment.
- Preparing for school
- New routines
- Saying goodbye
- Building confidence
Development • Transition • Confidence
Separation Anxiety
For children who experience distress when separating from a parent or trusted caregiver.
- Naming separation feelings
- Goodbye routines
- Separation & reunion
- Safe adults
Fears • Attachment • Calm Confidence
Bedtime Anxiety
For children experiencing worries, fear or distress around bedtime and sleeping.
- Bedtime fears
- Calming strategies
- Predictable routines
- Confidence around sleep
Fears • Physiological Grounding • Calm Confidence
Bullying
For children making sense of bullying and difficult peer experiences.
- Recognising concerning behaviour
- Talking about what happened
- Personal boundaries
- Asking adults for help
Peer Relationships • Self Awareness • Confidence • Safety
Making Friends
For children who need support approaching peers, joining activities or developing friendships.
- Starting conversations
- Joining play
- Social confidence
- Managing disagreements
Social Skills • Empathy • Differences • Dealing with Rejection
Social Anxiety
For children experiencing significant worry, self-consciousness or discomfort in social situations.
- Identifying social worries
- Calming strategies
- Preparing for situations
- Recognizing progress
Anxious Feelings • Thought Patterns • Quality vs Quantity Relationships
Moving Houses
For children adjusting to leaving a familiar home and settling into a new one.
- What will change
- What stays the same
- Saying goodbye
- Building belonging
Change • Transition • Happy-Sad Feelings • Home as a Feeling
Divorce
For children adjusting to parental separation, divorce, different homes and changing routines.
- Understanding family changes
- Naming difficult feelings
- Two-home routines
- Managing transitions
Family Change • Divorce • Adjustment • Routines • Belonging
Loss & Grief
For children coping with bereavement or another significant loss.
- Talking about loss
- Remembering someone important
- Understanding grief feelings
- Finding comfort
Finality • Loss • Bereavement • Feelings • Routine
Individualized Support Kit ★
A Little Lantern created around one child's story.
Sometimes a child's experience does not fit neatly into one category. Individualized Support Kits are developed from information supplied by a parent or caregiver about the child's circumstances, developmental stage, and particular support needs.
Where appropriate, the child's interests, preferred themes, or color preferences may also be incorporated.
Enquire About A Custom Kit- A unique family transition
- Multiple changes happening at once
- A particular loss
- Changes in caregiving arrangements
- A difficult school experience
- A significant life event
- A situation outside the standard collection
The Little Lanterns Core Message
"Your feelings belong to you, and they are always valid. You are allowed to talk about what's inside. You don't have to figure everything out by yourself. When feelings grow big, there are small things you can do to help—and safe people who can help carry what feels too heavy alone."
Important Information
Counselling & Mediation Centre videos and Little Lanterns resources provide general psychoeducational and psychosocial support. They are not intended to diagnose or treat psychological or medical conditions and do not replace individual counselling, psychological assessment, medical care or other professional services where these are required. Where a child or adult experiences persistent, severe or escalating emotional distress, appropriate professional assessment and support should be sought.